 Murder, murder, death, murder death, Toby Fox didn't like it. Too many games seem to focus on combat, battles and killing. Even role-playing games, which often made big promises about letting players choose their own path, ultimately forced the player to kill enemies in order to progress. Toby had played a few games, in some situations, where there was more going on with enemy characters than just violence, where persuasion or charm skills could help the player to understand more about their opponents in some limited situations. And so, an idea formed in Toby's head. What if there was a role-playing game where you didn't have to kill anyone? What if, instead, the game punished you for violent acts and rewarded you for finding a more peaceful solution to the challenges you faced? Toby figured there must be other people out there who'd appreciate a game about non-violence. When he launched an appeal for funding, though, he had no idea just how popular his little indie game was about to become. Toby Fox loved role-playing games. His favorite series of games was Earthbound, an often overlooked collection of titles, which didn't receive a lot of attention outside of Japan. There were only three Earthbound games, spread out over decades, so this wasn't a role-playing series that enjoyed a particularly large following. Only one of the games in the trilogy had even been officially released in America. The game was charming and enjoyable, though, and as such, its limited release didn't stop some core fans from truly falling in love with the series. Desperate to find fellow Earthbound players, Toby Fox, while still in high school, found himself bonding with fellow online gamers in Earthbound fan communities. Using the username Radiation, he got involved with a group of gamers who were eager to expand the Earthbound experience by creating their own fan hacks of the game. This was something that Toby had limited experience with. Back in the year 2000, he and his brothers had messed around on a piece of game development software called RPGMaker, although he'd never actually finished a game. Now, though, with a desire to expand the Earthbound series of games for himself, and with the encouragement of his peers online, Toby built his own fan hacks and submitted them to various contests run by the communities who were desperate for more of the games that they loved. These hacks were moderately successful and Toby was pleased with his work. Game design wasn't his only hobby at the time, he was also a budding musician, and it was this talent that led him to find part-time work as a student. He was hired by Andrew Hussie, the creator of the popular webcomic Homestuck, to create music for scenes within the comic. By this point, Homestuck was a hugely popular story, and plenty of artists and musicians were involved with creating work for the comic. It was while he was with Andrew, spending time idly in his basement, that Toby began experimenting with creating his own original role-playing game. Toby started work on a battle system, messing around to see what unique twists he could invent for the standard role-playing game formula. His love of Earthbound and other similar games that had made their way to America had led him to develop a greater love of Japanese role-playing games, and he'd even played a variety of games that had never been released outside of Japan. One such title, Shin Megami Tensei, allowed players to talk with monsters that they face, so that the player can learn more about each enemy as they encounter them. Toby wanted to expand on this concept, and he began designing a battle mechanic that allowed players to find alternative ways of dealing with monsters, beyond simply beating them into submission. That said, Toby didn't take out the option to kill monsters. Players still had the opportunity to approach this like a standard role-playing game, but Toby decided to program in serious repercussions for any player who resorted to violence. Slowly, Toby's game began taking shape. Building around this core battle mechanic, he envisioned a game world, and began designing fun characters to fill his story. Many of these characters developed as parodies of tired game tropes. One character, Phi, from The Legend of Zelda Skyward Sword, stood out particularly in Toby's mind. He was tired of hand-holding tutorial characters who constantly reminded players of how to do things, or signposted key game strategies, removing the need for rational thought and experimentation in puzzle solving. As Toby's answer to these kind of characters, he created Toriel, a hand-holding, mothering character that was designed as the ultimate Molly coddler. For the game's protagonist, Toby wanted to extend the classic idea of the silent protagonist. He wanted someone that everyone could identify with, and decided that the way to do this was to write all in-game text in the second person, where the player is referred to as you, instead of by any name. The game's simple art style helped this as well, as the player character was designed to look as vague as possible, so that players could personally invest in an avatar that vaguely resembles anyone of any background or appearance. Toby took time to think of all the different ways people might like to play the game. Too many role-playing games presented the illusion of choice, but ultimately forced the player down a narrow path and ignored any attempt to interact with the game in unusual ways. Toby programmed in little Easter eggs and special interactions for anyone who took the time to explore the game's nooks and crannies. He thought about how a player might interpret a particular challenge, and came up with ways to respond to player actions, even if the action involved exiting the game, or restarting the game entirely. Toby put together an initial demo for his game, and passed it around some of his friends, including those he'd met through Earthbound. Their reaction was positive, and Toby felt like, with a bit more resources, he could make something fun that a few people might get a kick out of. Toby launched a simple Kickstarter online, asking for $5,000 to help complete his game. He emphasised the game's focus on friendship and non-violence, and pointed to Earthbound as his primary inspiration. Without warning, the game's funding exploded. Thousands of people pledged their support, and by the time the funding window closed, over $50,000 had been donated to help make the game a reality. Toby was stunned, and more than a little anxious, he'd envisioned this as a small game that would be relatively simple to complete for a few core fans of Earthbound-style gameplay. Suddenly, he felt a lot more pressured to get things right, and to complete the project promptly. He'd seen a lot of similar kickstarters fail to reach fruition, even with the funds they needed, and he began to worry that he'd end up disappointing all these people who'd pledged so much money to his little game. There was nothing to do but go for it. Toby pushed himself into development, and even used some of the money to hire a second artist to help him get things finished in a more timely manner. He worked and sweated over the game for months, desperate to make something that all his backers would approve of. Finally, after an intense period of work, Undertale was finished. But the game's success didn't stop there. The kickstarter backers were very pleased with what they'd received, and word quickly spread about this exciting, quirky new game that paid tribute to the past, while also irreverently poking fun at the role-playing genre. Undertale went on to enjoy massive critical and commercial success, and the game was nominated for a series of prestigious awards. Toby Fox's experimentation with a non-violent battle system had really resonated with gamers, and to his complete surprise, he found his small title had gone on to inspire a generation of new developers, just as he'd been inspired all those years before by playing Earthbound. The moral of the story is twofold. Firstly, don't underestimate yourself. You may not instantly see the popularity that Toby Fox experienced with Undertale, but that doesn't mean you're not capable of coming up with fantastic ideas that people will love. Secondly, don't be afraid to approach things from a new angle. Just as Toby Fox discovered that games don't have to be about fighting, you should try your best to think outside the box, and break down preconceived ideas that are incorrect or limiting to creativity. Don't follow the pack. Feel free to take inspiration from those that have come before, but make sure you march to the beat of your own drum. You never know who might be watching, desperate for their own chance to follow you in doing something new and fresh.